Graphite-separator.



PATBNTED AUGr-l 4, 1908.-

W. M. FULLER. GRAPHITE SEPA-Miron.. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 25, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INI/ENTO? MME/Mh By www Y [me A TTR/VEYS 2 SHEETS-SHEET o0. 0 9 1 4v nw U. A D E T. N E T P .M mw .Ti RAQN www LPM UEE FSH ITU?.v Mmm WMM RM un A F'ig Mmm/Em.

Vl B UNITED srArns' PArnNr oFFIcn.

WILLIAM M. FULLER, or c RowN POINT, NEW

CROWN. POINT, NEW YORK. l

No. secs/9.

YORK, ASSIGNOR OFONE-THIED C. WITHERBEE, OF PORT HENRY, NEW YORK, AND ONE-THIRD TO MILO M.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

'ro WALTER wINTERs, or

GRAPHITESEPARATOR.

'Patented Aug. 4, 190e,

Application led November 25, 1905. Serial No.,289,059.

To all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M.- FULLER, residing at Crown Point, in the county of Essex and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l Graphite-Separators, of which the following 1s a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

his invention relates to improvements in that class of machinery known as ore separators, and while it is applicable to various other varieties of ores, 1t particularly concerns the separation of graphite from its matrix.

One object of this invention is to devise a com )act self contained ore separator in whic'i all the parts are so connected and positioned thatthe full individual advantages of each will be wholly realized and further augmented by reason of their mutual coperation as a whole, whereby the machine speedily and effectually o )crates to elfect an economical segregation of the valuable concentrates and useless gangue, 4

Another object is to formulate a'separator composed of parts, simple in nature and- -adapted for production at small cost, so contituted that they maybe easily assembled to form a practical means for handling ores, which is capable of being continuously operated by the application of little power, and which, while not dependent upon the use of water, will operate without waste thereof to efficiently separate ores of various sorts.

Still another object of thc invention is to produce a machine of the above nature, which, because of the convenient shape and mass of the component elements, may be readily transported to otherwise inaccessible mining regions and there put together with ease by the usual Workers of such region. i'

Another aim. is to have the parts of durable and wear resistingr construction and so united to other parts that they may be readily replaced when '.vorn out.

Additional objects and advantages which this invention has in View will be set forth in describing one-mode of practically embody-y ing the same and othersshould be thereby made obvious.

With the aforesaid and other ends in View, the .invention accordingly consists in the combinations of parts, features of construc- -falling thereon, and

tion and arrangement of elements hereafter Inore explicitly shown as an exemplibation of a preferred embodiment thereof, and in order that the invention may be more fully understood and the underlying principles thereof made comprehensible to al persons skilled in its relating arts, I have ap ended drawings in which like letters of re'erence denote corresponding parts throughout all the views of whichz- Figure 1 is a View in sectional elevation showing the general arrangement of the parts .constituting the separator and illustrates-the means for admitting'ore to the screen and of finally emitting the same after. its segregation has been effected. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the parts as shown in FIg. 1. Fig. 3 is a section'taken on line a-a of Fig, 1 showing the arrangement of elevators and showing the sand slide. Fig. 4 is a section on line b-b of Fig. 1. showing the graphite slide together with the elevator for the material illustrating the Inode of operation of the sweeper. -Fig. 5'is a general perspective View 1n detail of a fo'rm of I Sweeper such as l employ in practice. Fig. 6 shows of my cylindrical screen, showing the inclined arrangement of the scoops or vanos thereon which have for one object the acceleration of the ore to be treated through the machine.

Making reference now to such igures, 1 indicates a screen of'suitable construction, preferably ada agitated.. In t e herein shown embodiment this screen is cylindrical in form and is carried upon a suitable supporting axis 2 jour- I naled at the ends to the frame of the separator. A driving gear 3 of any suitable construction serves to' actuate the revclubly mounted screen.

ted to being continuously- 1n perspective one of the hoops af- 'fixed to the interior The ore to be separated is Introduced into the upper end of the screen hopper 4 mounted in the frame of the separator and having an exit orifice leading into the interior of the cylindrical screen. To .pxpedite the fiow of the the surface of the screen, it is given a slightly inclined governe' by the class of work to be performed thereby. A series of scoops orvanes' by means of a 5 are carried by the screen in its -rotation an 'l because of the spiral or inclined dispositfagn ore through and over osition the degree of which may be i and shape of such scnops, they 'serve to accel crate the motion and travel of the ore along the surface of the screen. Such scoops or vanes may be mounted in any suitable manner upon the screen; in practice I referring to-interiorly attach them to annu ar hoops which are aixed to the screen, although it is well within the province of this invention to otherwise mount such scoops.

Mounted so as to brush over the surface of the ore and screen are one ormore sweepers 6 which preferably are constructed after the fashion of an elongated brush carrying bristles 7 of any suitable substance, which bristles travel over and sweep the underlying surface of the screen and thereby serve to keep the same clear of ore and scour the latter, Ythe gangue of which is tlierebjT assisted through the meshes of the screen. Such Sweepers may be maintained in contact with the screen in any suitable mannerI though possibly the expedient shown is the simplest. This consists in providing a sweeper with arms 8 having in general a hook of U-shape, between the members of which is engaged the axis 2. A sweeper so mounted will by gravity be kept in contact vdth the underlying ore carrying surface ofI the screen and provision is made at the same time for compensating for such wear of the bristles as may occur in the use of the separator.

' Sweepers mounted in this manner may be readily detached when worn out and replaced by new ones. It is obviousl that in lieu of the particular form of sweeper here shown other variations accomplishing the same pu rpose may be resorted to, although certain advantages are inherent in that above described.

A suitable means for removing the gangue passing through the screen is provided. This consists in a slide 9 upon which the gangue falls from the overlying screen and by which it is directed to the discharge orifice 10 into the well l1 of the sand conveyor chamber 12. Suitably mounted within such chamber is a conveyer of any desirable construction but the elevator lwhich I have designated by 13 is best suited for ordinary )un poses. his elevator consists of an endless bucket carrying belt traveling around upper and lower pulleys, carrying the waste from the bottom to the top of the separator and there discharging it. It will be observed that this arrangement permits of a continuous removal of the waste gangue from a se arator full. of water without any waste of t ie latter which is frequently of such importance in districts where water is scarce.

The concentrates are ejected from the end of the screen into chamber lil. falling upon slide 15 and thereby directed through the orifice 16 in,the partition 17. From such orifice I6 the concentrates pass into well 1S of the graphite or other concentrate elevator chamber' i9. The elevator 2O therein mounted is similar in construction and arrangement to the gangue elevator and while the same may be driven independently of the latter it is obvious that the upper driving pulleys of both elevators may be mounted upon and actuated by a common shaft, if, desired.

It is desirable that some provision be made for preventing the concentrates emitted from the end of the screen from coursing back on the under side of the same, and for this pur pose I provide an adjustable sliding connection consisting of an annular flange 21. adjustably mounted upon the end of the screen. Co-acting therewith is a member 22, in close contact with which zslides the adjustable flange. Such member 22 forms with the partition to which it is aflixed a sort of flange box which efl'eetually prevents the graphite or other concentrates from returning or working back under the screen.

While the separator as herein described is capable of doing excellent work on dry-ores undef' certain circumstances, .under other` conditions it is preferable that the washing and separation take place under water. To' this end I provide a water outlet 23 so that the water line of the apparatus will he sufliciently above the ore carrying surface of the moving screen to insure goed work. Under these circumstances the ore to be treated and the desirable amount of wa ter will be washed into the hopper 4, onto the moving screen and through the apparatus. The excess water will flow from the outlet 23 while the concentrates and gangue will through the aid of the elevators before mentioned pass from orifices 24 and 25 respectively.

This invention is particularly adaptable for the separation of ore in which thc concentrates arc of' a tougher and less brittle nature than their matrix and which are of such rela tive specific gravity thereto that a fflotu tion" scpatration may be used.

Gr: `phite is segregated from its matrix very quickly and efficiently by this invention, cspec lly when it is of' the foliated variety occurring in minute scales in cleavage planes of quaruite. Such ore is 'reduced by crushing to a ser'. of sandy ganguc con dning intermingled therewith the fine scales of graphite. When such mass passes over the screen thc sand which because of its greater specific gravity seeks the bottom, passes through thc screen, while the graphite crystals tend to form an overlying layer and are washed along away from the sand and saved. Other graphitic oresI such as those in which the matrix is a mica schist, calcite, shale, clayI lime stone, or the like may be also effi cicntly treated by this device. ln some cases the course of separation may be reversed or otherwise altered; that is, the concentrates may be of a nature best adapted 'to pass through the screen in the first instance while IIC:

the gangue separated therefrom will be! preted as illustrative and not in a limiting l SEIISQ.

Having described my invention, what I,

claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. In an ore separator, a tank adapted to contain water, an inclinedrotary s crcen adapted to be partly submerged in the water having an axle extending through its longitudinal center, a brush swee er therefor depending from said axle and aving a vertically yielding connection therewith, a means for producing a relative movement between said members, and a stationary receptacle underlying said screen and arranged to receive material passing through said screen.

In an ore separator, a tank ada ted to contain water, a revoluble cylindrica screen adapted to be artiallysubmerged, inclined scoops interior y carried thereby and revoluble therewith, and radially disposed pliable brushes yieldablyresting on said screen and gravitally restrained within the submerged arca against rcvoluble movement therewith.

. 3. in an orc separator, a tank adapted t contain water, a revoliiblc cylindrical screen adapted to be partially submerged having an axle therethrough and interior hoops, inclined vanos carried by said hoops and rev oliiblc therewith, and pliable brushes intermediate. said hoops and freely suspended fro'm said axle in contact with'said screen within the submerged area thereof.

4. ln an ore separator, a tank ada ted to contain. water, a' revoluble cylindrica screen adapted to be'partially submcrgei'lhavingI terior el" said ,si-reen within the submerged area, an underlying receptacle for the gangue passing therethrough, a receiver for the concentrates 'delivered from the end of said' screen, an annular flange encircling the end of said screen, and a partition throughwhich the flanged end of said screen protrudesad separating the aforesaid receptacle andgre- 'zal i ceiver and in sliding close contact with said flange to prevent admixture of the gangue and concentrates.

6. In an ore separator, a' tank ada ted to' contain/,water having a pair of' yara el ore receiving chambers, the one on t e one side and the other on the other side, an elon ated "isy rotarycylindrical screen between said c am.

bers adapted to deliver Pconcentrates at its distant end and enabling the gangue to pass through its meshes, said screen being adapted to be partially submerged, a brush swee ing the interior of saidscreen within the su merged area, an undcrlyin@r into the one chamber, an elevator for receiving the gangue discharged by said slide, and atransversely disposed slide adjacent the end of said screen for receivingthe concentrates therefrom Vand arranged to discharge into the other chamber.

f 7. In an ore separator, a tank adapted to'v contain water having a pair' of arallel elongated ore receiving chambers, t ie one on the slide discharging sive in length with said screen for the reception of the gangue passing through said screenV and adapted to deliver said gangiie into the other chamber, and a separate chamber adjacent the delivery end of said screen containing ,a relatively narrow slide for the reception of concentrates passing 4thereoyer and adapted to deliver .said concentrates into the one chamber, the end chamber being provided with an overflow orifice opposite the delivering end of said screen and approximately level with water line of said screen.

8. In an ore. separator, a revohible cylindrical screen having end openings for the passage of ore, an axle extending interiorly through said screen and journaledin suit-able bearings mounted on the frame of the separator, inclined vanes mounted on`,hoops intition intermediate said slides and consisting of an annular flange' adjustably encircling said screen and sliding in a suitable flange i box, convciv'ers for carrying mate-rial from the aforesaid slides to suitable discharge outlets,

and an inclosing casingA having a water outflange loosely carried by the end of said parlet slightly above the ore-carrying surface of tition, and a segmental slide plate coacting said screen, whereby ore passing through the with said flange to prevent an adrnixture of separator will be Washed under water.r portions of the gangue with the concentrates.

5 9. An ore separator comprising, in combi- In testimony whereof I affix my signature,

nation, a tank adaptd to 'contain (vater, a in the presence of two witnesses.

transverse artition a -acent one'en 't ereo T and forminla ganguelreceiving chamber, a WILLAM M-ZFULLER' revoluble cylindrical screen having an enf Witnesses: A lo passing through an opening in said partition GEORGE A. B 'f WELL,

and terminating-in sa1d chambery an annular HAROLD W. MARTIN. 

